Kallady Bridge ( ta, கல்லடிப் பாலம்; also known as the Lady Manning Bridge) is a road

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

in eastern

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. It crosses the

Batticaloa Lagoon Batticaloa Lagoon is a very large estuarine lagoon in Batticaloa District, eastern Sri Lanka. The city of Batticaloa is located on land between the lagoon and the Indian Ocean.Batticaloa district is flourished with three lagoons, such Batticaloa ...

Batticaloa Batticaloa ( ta, மட்டக்களப்பு, ''Maṭṭakkaḷappu''; si, මඩකලපුව, ''Maḍakalapuwa'') is a major city in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, and its former capital. It is the administrative capital of the B ...

. The bridge is part of the A4 Colombo-Batticaloa highway.

History

The bridge was built in 1924 during British colonial rule. The bridge was named ''Lady Manning Bridge'' in honour of the wife of William Manning, the British

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. It was the oldest and longest iron bridge in Sri Lanka. On average 10,000 vehicles crossed the narrow, single lane bridge daily. Accidents on the bridge would lead to traffic problems in the area. Batticaloa's singing fish legend is associated with the bridge. In 1954 two American priests from St. Michael's College National School, Rev. Fr. Lang and Rev. Fr. Moran, recorded fishes singing under the bridge. The recording was broadcast on

Radio Ceylon Radio Ceylon ( si, ලංකා ගුවන් විදුලි සේවය ''Lanka Guwan Viduli Sevaya'', ta, இலங்கை வானொலி, ''ilankai vanoli'') is a radio station based in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) and the first ...

in the 1960s. In 2006 plans were drawn to build a new bridge parallel to the old one. Construction of the new bridge began in March 2008. Problems with the contractor led to another contractor being appointed. The new bridge was formally opened on 22 March 2013. The new two lane bridge is long and wide. The bridge cost

Rs. Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...

2.6 billion (

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

20 million) and was financed by a loan from the

Japan International Cooperation Agency The is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the government of Japan. It is chartered with assisting economic and social growth in developing countries, and the promotion of international co ...

under the ''Pro-Poor Eastern Infrastructure Development Project''.

References

External links

* 1924 establishments in Ceylon 2013 establishments in Sri Lanka Bridges completed in 1924 Bridges completed in 2013 Bridges in Batticaloa District Japan International Cooperation Agency Transport buildings and structures in Batticaloa {{SriLanka-bridge-struct-stub